Ring life buoy



y 8, 1962 J. 5. FEDOROWlCZ 3,032,789

. RING LIFE BUOY Filed Sept. 30. 1959 IN V EN TOR. JOSEPH S. F ED OROWICZ FlG.5 FIG.6

AT TY.

Joseph S. Fedorowicz,

g I I more particularly tothe manner in which the life line is buoy without utilizing fabric webs United States Patent 3,032,789 RING LIFE BUOY Ansonia, Conn., assignor to The New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 39, 1959, Ser. No. 843,408 4 Claims. (Cl. 9-340) B. F. Goodrich Company,

This invention relates to a ring life buoy and pertains attached to the annular ring of the life buoy.

It is customary to provide a life line around the periphery of the annular ring of a ring life buoy to which a person in distress in the water can cling until help arrives. The life line around the periphery of the annular ring of the life line is more easily grasped and clung to that the annular ring itself and permits more persons to cling to the life buoy at one time than if the life buoy were not furnished with a life line but, merely, consisted of a buoyant annular ring. Hereto-fore, the life line has been attached to the periphery of the annular ring of the life buoy by bands spaced around the circumference of the annular ring and encircling the life "line and the annular ring in the manner shown in the drawings and described in more detail hereinafter. These securing bands usually have been made of cotton webbing. Such a construction has not been completely satisfactory, however, since even though the webbing is treated to repel Water and to resist mildew deterioration, the bands of cotton webbing after a prolonged period of use deteriorate and may become so weakened that only a slight force is required to pull the life line loose from the annular ring of the life buoy. The detachment of the life line from the annular ring of the life buoy can be disastrous if the detachment occurs while a person is clinging to the life line and is depending upon the life buoy for buoyancy. Also, when the life line is atlife buoy in the manner slip relative to the bands tached to the annular ring of the described above, the life line can attaching the life line to the annular ring of the life buoy so that the loop of line disposed between adjacent bands is pulled taut against the annular ring of the life buoy thereby preventing a person in the water from grasping the life line with ease along that section of the life buoy.

The present invention overcomes the difiiculties which have been experienced in ring life buoys constructed as described above. In accordance with this invention, the life line is attached to the annular ring of the life for securing the life line to the periphery of the annular ring. Instead, the life line is looped through tapered radial openings spaced around the circumference of the annular ring of the life buoy, and the loops of the life line threaded through the openings are restrained from being pulled back through the openings by inserts around which the life line passes which inserts are fitted into the openings in the annular ring of the life buoy. The life line is held securely in place by this means of attachment. The invention will be fully understood by referring 'to the following detailed description of two embodiments of this invention and to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view partly broken away of a ring life buoy showing the method heretofore used for attaching the life lineto the annular ring of the life buoy;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view partly broken away and in section of a ring life buoy made in accordance with this invention; 7

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the retaining insert shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

3,032,789 Patented May 8, 1962 FIG. 5 is a section view similar to the view shown in FIG. 3 except showing a second embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the retaining insert shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 indicates the method heretofore commonly used for attaching a life line 10 to the annular ring 11 of a ring life buoy. As is shown the life line 10 merely is bound to the annular ring 11 by bands 12 which are spaced around the circumference of the annular ring 11. Normally four equally-spaced bands have been used for securing the life line to the annular ring 11.

In FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a ring life buoy 13 made in accordance with this invention is shown. In this embodimentof the invention, the annular ring 14 of the life buoy 13 is provided with radial openings 15, 15 equally spaced around the circumference of the annular ring 14 and extending completely through the annular ring 14 from its inner rim 16 to its outer rim 17. The openings 15, 15 may vary in shape but should be tapered toward a smaller cross-section as they extend to the outer rim 17 of the annular ring 14 for reasons which will be explained hereinafter. In this particular embodiment, the openings 15, 15 are generally rectangular at the base 15a and taper down to a generally rectangular neck 15b having a cross-section appreciably smaller than the crosssection of the base 15a. The annular ring 14 may be made of any buoyant material such as wood or cork but preferably is formed of a closed-cell cellular plastic material, such as polyvinyl chloride, having a specific gravity less than that of water.

The life line 18 is an endless loop of rope formed by splicing together the ends of a length of rope or by fusing together the ends of a rope if the rope is made of a material which can be heat-fused to itself such as polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene. The length of the'coil of rope 18 is sufiiciently greater than the periphery of the annular ring 14 so that after the life line 18 is attached to the annular ring 14 loops which can be easily grasped are formed between adjacent points of attachment of the life line 18 to the annular ring 14. The life line 18 is threaded through the openings 15, 15 in the annular ring '14 from the outer-rim 17 of the annular ring 14, passes around a restraining :plug or insert 19 positioned in the base of each opening 15, 15 and egresses from the opening 15 from the same orifice of the opening 15 through which it passed in initially entering the opening 15, as shown in FIG. 2. The insert 19 preferably is made of the same material as the annular ring 14 and is of such size and shape that when it is inserted into the opening '15 with the life line 18 encircling it a press fit is obtained which wedges the life line 18 securely in place. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the restraining insert 19 corresponds inshape to the shape of the base and tapered portion of the opening 15, as clearly shown in FIG. 4-.

The components of the ring life buoy 13 are assembled 'by threading a loop of the life line 18 through an opening '15 in the annular ring 14, the loop of life line being threaded into the opening 15 from the outer rim 17 of the annular ring 14 inwardly toward the inner n'm 16 of the annular ring 14, until the loop of life line 18 projects the life line 18 is secured to the annular ring 14 at each point of attachment.

A second embodiment of this invention is shown in FIGS. and 6. In this embodiment a restraining insert 20 is used which has longitudinally disposed grooves or channels 21, 21 cut or molded into opposing faces 22, 22 of the insert 20 and into which the life line 18 fits, as shown in FIG. 5. It Will be understood that the depth of the channels 21, 21 should be somewhat less than the diameter of the life line 18 so that the life line 18 will be securely wedged between the insert 20 and the walls of the annular ring 14 when the components are assembled to prevent the life line 18 from slipping.

It is clear that obvious modifications and variations of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A ring life buoy comprising an annular ring made of buoyant material and having openings spaced around its circumference and extending radially therethrough, the cross-section area of each said opening diminishing along at least a portion of its extent as it extends toward the outer rim of the said annular ring to provide an opening with a smaller cross-section area at the outer rim of the said annular ring than the cross-section area at the inner rim of the said annular ring, a life line around the periphery of said annular ring, said life line being an endless loop of rope greater in length than the periphery of the said annular ring, and an insert in each said opening in said annular ring, each said insert having a shape and size which permits it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it to be inserted into the base of said openings in said annular ring and which prevents it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it from being pulled completely through the said openings in the said annular ring, said life line being threaded into said openings in the said annular ring from the outer rim of the said annular ring, around the said insert in said opening and back out the same orifice of the opening into which the said life line entered the opening, said life line being press lit in each opening by being wedged between the said insert in the opening and the walls of the said annular ring bounding the opening.

2. A ring life buoy comprising an annular ring made of buoyant material and having openings spaced around its circumference and extending radially therethrough, the cross-section area of each said opening diminishing along at least a portion of its extent as it extends toward the outer rim of the said annular ring to provide an opening with a smaller cross-section area at the outer rim of the said annular ring than the cross-section area at the inner rim of the said annular ring, a life line around the periphery of said annular ring, said life line being an endless loop of rope greater in length than the periphery of the said annular ring, an insert in each said opening in said annular ring having longitudinally disposed channels along opposite sides thereof, said channels in said insert having a depth less than the diameter of the rope of said life line, each said insert having a shape and size which permits it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it and fitted into the said channels in said insert to be inserted into the base of said openings in said annula-r ring and which prevents it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it and fitted into the said channels in said insert from being pulled completely through the said openings in the said annular ring, said life line being threaded into said openings in said annular ring from the outer rim of the said annular ring, lengthwise around the said insert and fitted into the channels in said insert and back out the same orifice of the opening into which the said life line entered the opening, said its circumference and extending radially therethrough, each said opening being tapered toward the outer rim of i the said annular ring along at least a portion of the extent of the opening whereby the cross section area of the opening at the inner rim of the said annular ring is greater than the cross section area of the opening at the outer rim of the said annular ring, a life line around the 1 eriphery of said annular ring, said life line being an end- 1 less loop of rope greater in length than the periphery of the said annular ring, and an insert in each said opening in said annular ring, each said insert having a shape and size which permits it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it to be inserted into the base of said openings in said annular ring and which prevents it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it from being pulled completely through the said openings in the said annular ring, said life line being threaded into said openings in the said annular ring from the outer rim of the said annular ring, around the said insert in said opening and back out the same orifice of the opening into which the said life line entered the opening, said life line being press fit in each opening by being wedged between the said insert in the opening and the walls of the said annular ring bounding the opening.

4. A ring life buoy comprising an annular ring made of buoyant material and having openings spaced around its circumference and extending radially therethrough, each said opening being tapered toward the outer rim of the said annular ring along at least a portion of the extent of the opening whereby the cross section area of the opening at the inner rim of the said annular ring is greater than the cross section area of the opening at the outer rim of the said annular ring, a life line around the periphery of said annular ring, said life line being an endless loop of rope greater in length than the periphery of the said annular ring, an insert in each said opening in said annular ring having longitudinally disposed channels along opposite sides thereof, said channels in said insert having a depth less than the diameter of the rope of said life line, each said insert having a shape and size which permits it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it and fitted into the said channels in said insert to be inserted into the base of said openings in said annular ring and which prevents it with the said life line threaded lengthwise around it and fitted into the said channels in said insert from being pulled completely through the said openings in the said annular ring, said life line being threaded into said openings in said annular ring from the outer rim of the said annular ring, lengthwise around the said insert and fitted into the channels in said insert and back out the same orifice of the opening into which the said life line entered the opening, said life line being press fit in each opening by being wedged between the said insert in the opening and the walls of the said annular ring bounding the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 831,891 Quarterman Sept. 25, 1906 2,373,994 Brandsten Apr. 17, 1945 2,546,396 Jenkins Mar. 27, 1951 2,784,464 Larsvall Mar. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 537,398 Great Britain June 19, 1941 153,922 Sweden Mar. 27, 1956 1,009,408 France Mar. 12, 1952 

